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Coach Josh Elander hasn’t yet made any additions through the transfer portal, but some Tennessee baseball’s starters for next season are beginning to fall into place.
Pitcher Cam Appenzeller and Trent Grindlinger, the two highest profile freshmen from Tennessee’s 2026 campaign, will return for their sophomore years. Levi Clark and Landon Mack will be back for their junior seasons, too, with Clark as an impact bat and Mack returning to the weekend pitching rotation.
Tennessee will supplement its key returners with new players from the transfer portal. It also has a highly touted recruiting class coming in.
So, who will start for the Vols in 2027?
Tennessee was always going to need to replace at least two of its three weekend starters with Tegan Kuhns eligible for the MLB draft in July and Evan Blanco out of eligibility. Getting Mack and Appenzeller back will help ease that transition.
Mack’s return provides some continuity and could be Tennessee’s Friday night starter after pitching to a 4.67 ERA in 61.2 innings before missing the final month of the season.
Appenzeller had been pointed to by Elander as a future weekend starter throughout the season and is primed to move into that role as a sophomore. He pitched in high-leverage moments, even starting the Vols’ first-round SEC Tournament game against South Carolina. Outside of a rough patch from mid-April to mid-May, he looked mature beyond his years.
Now Tennessee will have to find a third starter. Last year, Tennessee needed to replace Liam Doyle and Marcus Phillips, so it brought in Mack from Rutgers and Blanco from Virginia. Unless Elander chooses to rely on the development of someone from the bullpen, from which there is no obvious option, a similar strategy can be expected.
Returning relievers include rising junior Nic Abraham, who made three midweek starts in 2026, and rising sophomores Will Haas and Chandler Day.
The Vols will be waiting on MLB draft decisions from many of their most impactful hitters, but the returns of Grindlinger and Clark help shore up the middle of the order.
The starting infield will have a different look if any of third baseman Henry Ford, shortstop Manny Marin and second baseman Blake Grimmer pursue the draft. Tennessee is solid at the catcher position with Clark and Grindlinger, plus Stone Lawless. Garrett Wright was also a frequent starter behind the plate but is draft eligible.
Clark could stay at first base, but with Ariel Antigua and Chris Newstrom in the transfer portal, the only other infielder on the roster is Tyler Myatt, who hit .247 in 73 at-bats. The Vols also signed top-60 recruits Cole Koeninger and Jaxson Wood.
The outfield will at a minimum have to make up for the loss of right fielder Reese Chapman, and Wright often played center field. The most likely outfield replacement from the 2026 roster would be freshman Nate Eisfelder, who was in the starting lineup when Chapman missed the SEC Tournament with an injury.
Left fielder Blaine Brown can return for his junior year and would likely slot back into his starting role if he comes back, but did struggle late in the season, so much so that he was benched in the final game of the NCAA regional.
Trevor Condon is Tennessee’s top outfield recruit, ranked the No. 21 overall prospect in the country by Perfect Game, but could be a first-round MLB draft pick.
This all sets the stage for Elander to bring in new starters from the transfer portal, both in the infield and outfield.
With upwards of 1,400 players entering the portal just on its first day and many more since, there will be plenty of options.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball projected starters, pitching rotation, positions of need for 2027
Continue reading...
Pitcher Cam Appenzeller and Trent Grindlinger, the two highest profile freshmen from Tennessee’s 2026 campaign, will return for their sophomore years. Levi Clark and Landon Mack will be back for their junior seasons, too, with Clark as an impact bat and Mack returning to the weekend pitching rotation.
Tennessee will supplement its key returners with new players from the transfer portal. It also has a highly touted recruiting class coming in.
So, who will start for the Vols in 2027?
Tennessee starting rotation for 2027
Tennessee was always going to need to replace at least two of its three weekend starters with Tegan Kuhns eligible for the MLB draft in July and Evan Blanco out of eligibility. Getting Mack and Appenzeller back will help ease that transition.
Mack’s return provides some continuity and could be Tennessee’s Friday night starter after pitching to a 4.67 ERA in 61.2 innings before missing the final month of the season.
Appenzeller had been pointed to by Elander as a future weekend starter throughout the season and is primed to move into that role as a sophomore. He pitched in high-leverage moments, even starting the Vols’ first-round SEC Tournament game against South Carolina. Outside of a rough patch from mid-April to mid-May, he looked mature beyond his years.
Now Tennessee will have to find a third starter. Last year, Tennessee needed to replace Liam Doyle and Marcus Phillips, so it brought in Mack from Rutgers and Blanco from Virginia. Unless Elander chooses to rely on the development of someone from the bullpen, from which there is no obvious option, a similar strategy can be expected.
Returning relievers include rising junior Nic Abraham, who made three midweek starts in 2026, and rising sophomores Will Haas and Chandler Day.
What will Tennessee’s lineup look like?
The Vols will be waiting on MLB draft decisions from many of their most impactful hitters, but the returns of Grindlinger and Clark help shore up the middle of the order.
The starting infield will have a different look if any of third baseman Henry Ford, shortstop Manny Marin and second baseman Blake Grimmer pursue the draft. Tennessee is solid at the catcher position with Clark and Grindlinger, plus Stone Lawless. Garrett Wright was also a frequent starter behind the plate but is draft eligible.
Clark could stay at first base, but with Ariel Antigua and Chris Newstrom in the transfer portal, the only other infielder on the roster is Tyler Myatt, who hit .247 in 73 at-bats. The Vols also signed top-60 recruits Cole Koeninger and Jaxson Wood.
The outfield will at a minimum have to make up for the loss of right fielder Reese Chapman, and Wright often played center field. The most likely outfield replacement from the 2026 roster would be freshman Nate Eisfelder, who was in the starting lineup when Chapman missed the SEC Tournament with an injury.
Left fielder Blaine Brown can return for his junior year and would likely slot back into his starting role if he comes back, but did struggle late in the season, so much so that he was benched in the final game of the NCAA regional.
Trevor Condon is Tennessee’s top outfield recruit, ranked the No. 21 overall prospect in the country by Perfect Game, but could be a first-round MLB draft pick.
This all sets the stage for Elander to bring in new starters from the transfer portal, both in the infield and outfield.
With upwards of 1,400 players entering the portal just on its first day and many more since, there will be plenty of options.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball projected starters, pitching rotation, positions of need for 2027
Continue reading...
